EL PASO - Trade cooperation between Mexico and the United States is getting a boost via overpasses connecting Juárez to El Paso. One overpass is now operational and three more are ready for groundbreakings.

The overpass now open in Juárez is located below the Paso Del Notre Bridge. The bridge is expected to increase rail cargo shipments by 17 percent while not interfering with Paso Del Norte Bridge automobile traffic. It will allow for around-the-clock cargo movement for trade that already amounts to some $70 billion a year.

The largest ongoing project is the Tornillo-Guadalupe international port of entry, located about 30 miles east of Downtown El Paso. The U.S. side is under construction, as reported September 2012. The bridge will ease truck-traffic congestion on international ports in El Paso, Zaragoza and Bridge of the Americas.

The Mexican federal government has allotted $86 million for the four overpasses.

One in nine jobs in El Paso is trade related. There are 40,000 jobs in El Paso related to trade with Mexico.